Birds of a Feather
by raven lynn morrigan
Summary: Someone is out to get the Titans. Robin and Raven must band together if they want to survive, but can they over come the loss of their friends to do so?  COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

My cousin who is my editor and fixes all those little errors that neither I or the spelling checker doesn't get informed me as she was going through chapter 2 that she never got chapter 1 of this story. There were enough little errors she caught that we deemed a repost nesassary. She also thought the part with Beast Boy turning into a turtle needed to be changed (to make an unbelieveable situation more beileveable as she put it)-so we tried a little something new in that part. How it helps, I don't know, but this new edit was the only version that passed inspection.

When I first posted my very short story "Fall Again" a reviewer mentioned that is seemed to be a part of a longer story. That one I took a cue from the song Fall Again by my friend Zane Williams. You can google him and listen to it on his website if you want the whole story on where my story came from-if that makes sense. That did however get me to thinking about another story I posted at the same time, "In Death Do We Meet." At the time I wrote it the story was just meant to fill out the last few pages of the notebook I was writing in. It has been awhile since I posted the short story, but the review and that other story just kind of popped in my head today for no reason. And I started to think about it. Long before I ever saw "Mutant Chronicles" that type of war torn battlefield was on the order of what I was seeing in my head-just without the killer mutants. As I thought about that I realized there was an earlier story that I had written that "In Death Do We Meet" would have been the final ending to. So now here is the first part of that prequel. Written after season 4, but before season 5-which never came about-if you read the other one. If you haven't I would sugest waiting until you read the final chapter of this one-there should be about 5 in all.

Birds of a Feather

Robin stands outside of Raven's door listening as she is once again able to meditate. He has been very worried about her. Only he seemed to notice that she had slowly been falling apart ever since the prophecy of her birth was finally revealed. Now that the end has been averted he hopes she will be okay. When he hears her meditating cease he hesitates a few moments before knocking on the door.

Raven looks up at the knock on the door. She knows he has been there for sometime listening to her meditate. She smiles slightly-touched by his concern for her. Raven gets up and walks over to the door.

He looks up when the door finally opens. "Raven...I just wanted to let you know that the rest of us are going to visit Terra. We were wondering if you felt up to coming. If it's too soon...I mean--you did expend a lot of power stopping your father."

"I'll be fine." She turns off the light and lets the door close as she follows Robin

*****

Raven has a bad feeling when they enter Terra's cave, but Beast Boy goes rushing in, with Starfire close behind, before she can voice her concern. She looks all around as she follows Cyborg and Robin inside-looking for the source of her current state of unease. It's not until they reach the central cavern that used to be a secret lair of Slade's that she notices small twinkling lights that almost look like tiny stars embedded in the rocks. At first they look almost pretty. She gasps suddenly when she realizes what those lights are.

Robin turns to look at Raven. "What's wrong...?" He follows Raven's gaze up to the ceiling. "Explosives! Everyone out now!"

For a split second the others freeze as they look up and that is when the explosives start to go off in a chain reaction.

Raven reacts quickly unleashing a telekinetic shield that prevents the debris from crushing her friends. "Get out now! I don't know how much longer I can hold it!"

Cyborg turns around. "We're not leaving without you."

"Can't...move...have to...concentrate...or--"

Robin steps up beside Raven. "--You heard her! Everyone get out!"

Beast Boy morphs into a gorilla and grabs the statue that Terra has become and rushes out of the cavern. Starfire picks up Cyborg and catches Beast Boy on the way-rushing them all outside.

"Lets go Raven."

"I can't--go...I'm losing it." She collapses to her knees.

"Raven."

With the last of her strength she uses her powers to transport Robin out of the cave. Her powers fail her before she can save herself and all the rocks crash down on her.

-------

The others stare in horror as the entrance to the cave is blocked by falling rocks.

Starfire gasps. "Raven!"

Beast Boy just stands there in shock-not even having realized he is no longer in beast form. "She didn't have time to get out."

Robin gets up rushing back to the entrance. "Raven is still alive...I can feel it. We have to find a way to get her out."

Cyborg looks back at Terra's rock form. "We sure could use her powers right now."

"We will make due with what we have." Starfire steps up the cave entrance and draws back her fists delivering the rocks a mighty blow from one of her starbolts.

Cyborg pulls her back as the dust clears. "Easy there-we don't want it all to come crashing back down on us. My readings show that the ceiling is still very unstable.

Beast Boy rolls up his sleeves. "Then lets go under." Before anyone can stop him he morphs and quickly begins digging in the loose soil surrounding the cave.

Robin turns to Cyborg. "Is that going to work?"

"There is a lot of sandy soil under the cave--this area used to be underwater in prehistoric times. We can get close to her..." Cyborg pulls up a display on his arm. "..but a few meters from her location everything turns into volcanic rock."

Beast Boy pulls back already exhausted and he has barely made any headway. All the sudden an idea comes to his mind. The creature that he became when those chemicals spilled on him at the factory can move with lightening speed. He quickly shifts into it an begins digging again. He begins digging again with frantic speed.

Starfire finds a large rock that she punches creating a depression to make a crude shovel which she uses to pull dirt out of the tunnel that Beast Boy is creating.

Cyborg begins adjusting his sonic cannon. "Maybe I can dial this back and use it to cut through the rock."

"Better make it fast, I don't think it's going to take Beast Boy very long now."

-------

Raven lays there-barely conscious--just enough to register the tremendous pain. She is lucky if she looks at it that way that most of the rocks fell around her forming a sort of canopy around her protecting her-except for her right arm and leg which are pinned under a rock. Her friends are safe-that is what matters to her right now. She tries to stay awake, but wonders what the point of fighting is. Raven hears a roaring sound as a rock shifts slicing against the left side of her head. It takes her a moment to realize its her screaming. The new pain that causes is only an after thought as her scream finally dies. She lays there sobbing--finally giving into the dark void of blissful unconsciousness.

-------

Everyone freezes when they clearly hear Raven's scream.

Cyborg turns to Robin almost afraid to ask. "Is she...?"

Robin collapses to the ground unable to speak for a few moments. "Barely...we've got to hurry."

Cyborg starts inside the tunnel-but stops and turns back to Robin. "I don't what's going on between the two of you-but don't let her go."

After a few moments Robin gets up and staggers into the tunnel. Beast Boy is clawing frantically at the rock barrier now.

Starfire pulls him back as Cyborg chargers his sonic cannon. "Please let Cyborg try now."

Beast Boy steps back returning to normal only to collapse too exhausted to move now.

Robin kneels down beside him. "You did good."

"First Terra...now Raven is...we can't loose her too."

"She's an empath--just think positive thoughts right now."

"Think positive...yeah." Beast Boy looks up as Starfire adds her eye beams to Cyborg's altered sonic cannon. "We're coming Raven-just hang on..."

Robin stands up as Beast Boy slumps back unconscious. He focuses on the bond between he and Raven as Cyborg and Starfire slowly bore through the rock blocking their access to Raven.

-------

Outside the cavern a lone figure places more explosive charges all around and on the un-guarded statue of Terra this time. "One down, five to go." That person walks off leaving the charges to be triggered when the Titans exit the tunnel in the futile attempt to rescue their friend.

-------

"Stop-we're right under her!"

Robin rushes into the tunnel to help Cyborg and Starfire free Raven. He looks up as Starfire turns to Cyborg.

"How do we get her out?"

Cyborg looks up at the rock above them. "Everything is just going to come crashing down when we break through."

"Can you scan what's above her?" Robin glances back as Beast Boy staggers in. "The rocks aren't crushing her or--"

"--It will take a few minutes." Cyborg focus his sensors above him. He makes a detailed map of what is surrounding Raven. Once he is done he projects it for everyone to see. "The rocks appear to have domed above her."

Starfire looks up from the map. "Then we can cut around her yes?"

"It's not going to be that easy." Cyborg rotates the map so they can view the rock trapping her right arm and leg.

Robin looks up. "We have to hurry..." He pauses as their bond seems to manifest her current state physically in him as he struggles to breathe. "...she can't last much longer...running out of air."

Beast Boy speaks up as Starfire and Cyborg stare at Robin. "You heard him-lets get her out of there."

As the others go to work Robin kneels there still struggling to breathe. "Hang on Raven...don't you dare leave us." He focuses on the bond between them which he can feel beginning to slip now. He stubbornly holds onto that connection-refusing to let her go.

Cyborg steps back to let Beast Boy in as he morphs back into the Beast form and holds up the section they're cutting to keep it from breaking away and injuring Raven worse. "Careful now...almost there."

After a few more minutes the rock slab comes loose-but Beast Boy doesn't move it.

Starfire flies up to the slab. "Lower it just a little so I can see if--"

Robin gives them the answer they need as he collapses there crying out in pain that is not his own. "Her...leg..."

Cyborg looks down as a low battery indicator starts to flash. "We didn't go over far enough."

Beast Boy grumbles unable to speak in Beast form.

Starfire gets what he wants and takes the weight of the slab.

He collapses a few moments after shifting back to normal. Just give me a moment, I have an idea.

Cyborg looks down at Beast Boy. "What are you going to do?"

Before anyone can stop him Beast Boy morphs into a bug and flies up to the slab and disappearing through a crack. He shifts to a centipede and crawls over Raven until he finds her trapped knee. He positions himself there and stops to think. When he was learning to use his powers he was told to think bigger--bigger won't work here he needs smaller. Smaller but stronger. Stronger-dinosaurs-he needs a mini version of a strong dinosaur. He contentrates shifting into an armoured ankylosaur-dislodging the rock just enough. He vocalizes as loud as he can to get Star to move her now.

Cyborg looks up. "Beast Boy...you brave fool! Move her now Star."

Once Raven is free Beast Boy quickly shifts into a spider and just dangles from the hole in the roof as Star lowers Raven down.

Robin looks up when Raven is lowered beside him.

Beast Boy drops down-shifting back to normal form as a rumbling starts over head. "We gotta get out of here!"

Robin picks up Raven as Starfire helps out the weakened Beast Boy.

Cyborg turns to Robin. "Can you carry her?"

"I'm fine--go!"

Robin follows close behind Cyborg. They make their way out as the small cavern they created fills with rocks from above. They hear Starfire gasp as she gets Beast Boy out. Cyborg freezes and pushes Robin back down into the tunnel as another explosion rocks the ground. Robin collapses there with Raven in his arms as loose soil falls down on them.

Outside a lone figure smugly watches the carnage.


	2. Chapter 2

Birds of a Feather

Robin awakens to sounds of strange voices all around him. Everything appears blurry as he opens his eyes to look around. All he can see is the tunnel-dirt is piled all around him as he clutches Raven in his arms.

"Over here!"

He looks up when a shaft of light appears several feet inward from where the tunnel began. He looks down at Raven as the hole is widened. She's breathing-but very shallowly. Robin manages to get up and stagger over to the tunnel as workers break through. "She needs help."

One of the workers turns around. "We need paramedics over here!"

Robin looks around-the place has become a blur of generator powered search lights. He wonders how long its been as the paramedics come forward-it was days still daylight when they came here. He lets them take Raven he stands there watching as they place her on a stretcher. As the paramedics go to work assessing Raven's condition he steps out of the tunnel.

"Are you okay?"

He hears the voice directed at him but he ignores it. The others...he has to find the others.

"You need to take it easy kid, until the paramedics check you out."

Robin shrugs off the well meaning hand of the rescue worker who tries to hold him back. He wanders around looking for the other Titans. He looks up as a police officer blocks his path. "Trust me you don't want to see this, go back to your friend." He turns left meaning to push passed the policeman when he spots what looks at first just like scattered rocks. He walks slowly over to them-already knowing what they are. "Terra..."

The police officer walks over to Robin. "You should go sit down and--"

"--this was Terra." Robin motions to what has clearly just been treated as a pile of rubble. "She became rock somehow, after she used her powers to stop a volcano that was threating the city. We never could find a way to turn her back to normal."

"I'll see that--"

"--Where are the others?"

"I'm sorry they didn't make it."

"Where are they?"

The policeman points him back to Raven. "There is nothing you can do for them. Right now you should focus on her."

"I need to see them."

Finally the policeman relents and takes him to an area that has been blocked off from the search area. There on two stretchers covered with sheets are bodies. "Trust me you don't want to do this to yourself. Its best if you remember them how they were."

Images threaten to flood his mind from when he was younger and he saw his parents fall to their deaths. He doesn't realize that he's trembling now as he looks at the covered bodies of what can only be Starfire and Beast Boy. "Where is Cyborg?"

"We had a robotics expert come out. Whoever did this knew just what they were doing. The explosive force was just enough to wreck his systems...and without the robot half to keep him alive...they tried to...recover his stored data but it was as if the explosion wiped his hard drive. I'm sorry Robin."

Robin turns staggering back toward where he left Raven. He makes it only a few feet away when he collapses to the ground as his vision slowly fades away to darkness.

*****

When Robin comes around he finds himself in a hospital exam room where a doctor is looking over x-rays.

"Raven?"

The doctor turns to look at Robin as he tries to get it up. "Easy there-you need to lie still, I'm concerned you could have some broken ribs. I'm waiting on a clearer set of x-rays."

Stubbornly Robin sits up. "Raven...where is she?"

"She is in O. R. right now. Surgeons are doing everything they can for her."

"If it helps-she's only half-human."

"I'll make sure they get the word. The police are waiting to ask you some questions about what happened."

"I wish I had answers."

The doctor leaves and soon the police officer from back at the cave enters the room. "I'm Officer Callaway. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure you all were close."

"We were like a family."

"Did any of you receive any types of threats?"

"No...nothing."

"You mentioned something about Terra and a volcano. Was that connected to when she helped to take over the city?"

"Yeah. Slade tricked her--turned her against the rest of us."

"Slade? No one's seen him since-do you think he could have been behind it?"

"I...I honestly don't know. It could have been anyone, we ticked a lot of villains off...but it had to be someone that knew about Terra right? We never told anyone-so she would be safe-until we could find a way to help her."

"We don't have any leads right now. The crime lab is trying to trace where the explosives came from. Any information you can give us will help."

"It was Raven that saw the explosives in the cave. She was weak to begin with-but she held everything up when they off so the rest of us could get out. She lost it before she could get out."

"So that's what the tunnel was for, you were trying to rescue her."

"Yeah. When we finally got her out, I was carrying her and the others were ahead of us. All I remember is Cyborg turning back around and pushing me down--then there was another explosion. The robotics expert...you were trying to find out if he saw who planted the bombs."

"Yes, you and Raven were lucky to survive. You could still be in danger. We're going to have guards posted as long as you are here." The Officer pauses a few moments before continuing. "Is there anyone that we should contact? Families for the others?"

"I should be the one to send a message to Tamaran. The Doom Patrol raised Beast Boy after he lost his parents. Contact information for Cyborg's family is in the database at the tower."

"And Raven?"

"She doesn't have any family here on Earth."

"Would you allow us access to the files at the tower? It could help us figure out who did this?"

"You'll have to let me take you. Cyborg's security system will only let one of us in."

"Once the doctor clears you then. And what about you? Should we try to contact Batman?"

"I'm sure he will hear about it soon enough."


	3. Chapter 3

Birds of a Feather

Nearly ten hours later Robin is sitting in a hospital room waiting for news on Raven. The only thing he has heard since he woke up was when a nurse came in asking if she had a human blood type. He thinks they should have checked that just in case something like this happened. The waiting is starting to drive him crazy. He looks up as the door suddenly opens.

"Robin, I'm doctor Mathis. Raven has just come out of surgery."

"How is she?"

"I'm afraid things don't look very good for her at this point. We were unable to type her blood-she lost quite a lot during surgery and from internal bleeding she suffered at the scene. I fear that giving her human blood could do her more harm than good right now. I'm not going to lie to you, I've never seen anything resembling some of her internal structure before. A lot of the surgery was pure guess work. She has several broken bones and her right knee is going to require future surgery. She wasn't strong enough to under go further surgery at this time."

"Can I see her?"

"She is going to be moved into ICU as soon as her broken bones are set. She has evidence of head trauma-possibly even brain damage so there is no guarantee that she is going to wake up."

"So she's in a coma?"

"Yes. She's held on this long, she's clearly a fighter. The best thing you can do for her right now is stay positive. I'll have a nurse come get you once she's moved into ICU."

Robin watches the doctor leave. He had told Beast Boy almost the same thing earlier. He winces as leans back on the bed. She's still clinging to life because he refused to let her go when he felt their bond slipping. He's beginning to wonder now if it wouldn't be better for him to just let her go. He looks up as the door opens again--its not a doctor or nurse this time. "Batman?"

"I came as soon as I heard."

"They're all gone...I don't know what I was thinking--"

"--Not everyone is going Robin."

"She would be if it weren't for me. One of the last things Cyborg said to me was not to let her go...and I didn't." He looks up at Batman as he realizes what he just said-this one is going to take some explaining.

-------

Raven cries out as the ground beneath her breaks away-she sees a shape in the fog in front of reaching out. A hand grabs her as she falls-pulling her back up onto what is left of the solid ground. The fog is so thick she can barely make out who it is. "Beast Boy?"

He doesn't speak-he just picks her up in his arms and carries her away as the ground breaks off in large chunks behind them. He gets Raven onto his back and shifts into a large cat to outrun the fragmenting ground around them.

She recognizes this as her dark mind scape-or what's left of it. She doesn't understand what's going on--she's sure that she should be dead by now.

-------

"Don't you think that the choice should be hers Robin? If what you're saying is true then you can't just let her go if she doesn't want to die."

"How am I supposed to know what she wants? The doctor said she's in a coma-its not like she can tell me."

-------

Beast Boy stops when the ground gives way to just a few lingering fragments here and there. He shifts back to normal as Starfire appears.

Raven looks down at Beast Boy who disappears as Starfire lifts her up into the air. "What's going on here?"

Starfire doesn't answer-she just carries her over the crumbling mind scape.

-------

Robin looks up as the door opens and nurse enters with a wheelchair.

"I thought you might like to go up and see your friend now."

"I can walk."

"Sorry, hospital policy."

-------

Starfire stops when she reaches the remains of the maze.

"Starfire, please speak to me...you're scaring me." Raven looks up as Cyborg suddenly appears and takes her from Starfire. "Cyborg?" Something is different about him she realizes-but its just so hard for her to see through all this damn fog. "Cyborg, please tell me what's happening."

"We're saving you. You birds have to stick together."

"What are you talking about?" Raven realizes as he brings her to the end of what's left of the maze that he isn't part metal anymore.

-------

Robin looks at Raven's unconscious form. He's shocked-by the girl laying in the bed before him. Raven has always been so strong, but she looks so fragile now. Her right knee has been immobilized and pins stick out of her leg where the bone was broken in several places. Her right arm is in a cast, and there is a nasty looking gash visible under the bandages on the left side of her face. She's hooked up to so many tube and wires that monitor her vital signs. He finds himself afraid to touch her--but finally-gently he takes hold of her left hand. "Raven...I don't really know how to say this..."

-------

When Cyborg sits Raven down on the only piece of ground in sight he disappears.

Raven looks around scared-but its impossible to see for the heavy fog. "Cyborg? Beast Boy? Starfire? Don't leave me here please!" She sits there crying as she realizes that they are not coming back. She looks around suddenly as the piece of ground she is on starts to move. "Terra?" Her attention is suddenly drawn elsewhere as a voice carries across the fog.

-------

"...I won't make you hang on if you don't want to. If you want to stay then please just give me some sort of sign."

-------

"Robin?" Raven looks back to Terra. "What's he talking about? What's happening here?"

Terra stops in front of the forbidden door-the journey on ward is one that only Raven can make.

Raven tries to stand-fully intending to demand that she be given answers when it appears as if a hand is reaching for her through the forbidden door--the only way out of her mind. She looks back to see Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg, gathered there with Terra for only a moment before they all disappear. She looks again at the hand held out before her.

-------

How long has it been a few minutes maybe, but to Robin it feels like an eternity. If Raven were going to give him some sort of sign he's sure she would have done it already.

-------

Finally Raven reaches out toward the hand with her own.

-------

Robin is about to let go of her hand and let her rest in peace, but he hesitates just one moment longer.

-------

Raven grasps the hand before her as the last bit of earth gives way beneath her.

-------

As Robin starts to pull his hand away, he's startled as Raven's suddenly grasps his. He sits there with his heart pounding-he was just about to let her go--if he hadn't held on that one moment longer... "I'm right here, Raven. I promise not to let you go."


	4. Chapter 4

I did bring Batman into this story, but since he is not a major player-I don't really consider this a crossover. While typing it up my cousin, who is my editor, suggested bringing him in rather than one of the Titans East because that brings up the question of why they weren't targeted too. This chapter is also mostly a brand new one created just for the online version of this story.

Birds of a Feather

Its been several tense weeks in which Robin has rarely left Raven's side. He let Batman help the police find what they want at the tower. After coming so close to loosing her Robin just couldn't risk leaving Raven alone. He's glad to see her finally open her eyes. "Raven..."

"Why did you let them risk entering my mind?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The others...I was trapped in my mind. Everything was falling apart and they helped me reach the portal." She realizes something is wrong when Robin looks away from her. "Oh no...they didn't make did they?"

"We knew you were alive after the cave in...we couldn't just leave you there. We made a tunnel-I was carrying you out and there was another explosion-Cyborg pushed me back in and--they didn't survive."

"Terra too?"

"Yes."

"Who did it?"

"We don't know that yet. Batman has been here helping the police."

*****

While the police question Raven about what happened at the cave a young nurse finds Robin in the break room.

Robin looks up as she takes a seat across from him.

"Is this seat taken?"

He glances around the empty room. "Obviously not."

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your team." She just sits there a few moments when he doesn't respond. "So have you thought about starting a new team?"

Robin is at first startled by the question-then quickly becomes ticked off at the thought of what happened to the others. "A new team...of Titans...here in Jump City?"

"Well yeah. do you think the criminals are going to go away after what happened? You're going to need help."

He looks up when he realizes what this girl is getting at. "Let me guess-you think that somehow you can help out."

"I may not be a teenager, but I'm not that much older than you. I may not have powers but I have been studying martial arts for a very long time now and--"

"--and what? You think martial arts alone is going to cut it out there? This isn't some game."

"This was too soon, I come back later--"

"--don't bother. I'm not looking for anyone new."

The nurse just glares at Robin a few moments before getting up and leaving. She's stopped as she passes by the nurses station.

"Room 315 is due for an injection of pain medicine."

The nurse looks at the chart that is laid out on the desk. "Doesn't the doctor usually have a pain pump set up?"

"Not this time. Her medication is to be strictly monitored."

The nurse shrugs. "Okay then, I'll take care of it." She goes down to the pharmacy to get the injection. No one is inside when she steps into the room. Its always cold in the hospital but it is positively freezing in this room. She turns around when a dark shadow falls over her and the scream she intends to unleash dies in her throat.

-------

"I've told you everything I can remember. I didn't see anyone-I didn't even sense anyone there at the time."

"Sense?"

"I'm Empathic, Telepathic. Believe me if someone were there I would have sensed it, unless they have powers like mine and knew how to shield themselves from detection."

"Is there anyone you know who can do that may be out to get you?"

"A villain you mean?"

"We're exploring all possibilities at this point."

"No, I don't know anyone who would be able to shield their minds, but I was weak after our last battle, so I guess if the person kept their distance I could have missed it. I'm sorry, but do you have anymore questions or are you just going to keep going over the same things we've been talking about for hours? As you can tell I don't feel very well and I'm getting tired."

"Of course. If we have any further questions, we will be in touch."

Raven just nods and immediately regrets doing so as the police get up to leave She holds her left hand against her forehead as a wave of dizziness rushes over her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine-I just got a little light headed for a second." Raven winces from the pain of the I. V. needle stuck in the back of her left hand as she moves it. She always hated her powers, but now she is really starting to miss her healing powers. She breathes a shaky sigh of relief as the police finally leave the room. Raven begins to drift off to sleep soon after the police leave her alone. The questions that she had no answers for left have her very exhausted. She hears the door open but doesn't think much of it. It's time for the injection of pain medicine that only serves to dull the agony she feels right now. If only it could dull the hurt in her heart. She wishes her friends hadn't tried to save her-they would still be alive.

"Four down two to go."

Raven looks up suddenly as a shadowy figure injects something in her I. V. She feels its effects immediately as she struggles to summon help.

"And now there's just one."

A glassy eyed nurse collapses to the floor as Raven finally manages to press the button to call for help from the nurses station.

A doctor is paged as nurses get Raven intubated to keep her breathing.

-------

Robin is sitting alone in the break room with a soda he hasn't even touched. He doesn't like leaving Raven alone-she is the only one left and he doesn't want to lose her. Robin looks up when he hears a doctor being paged to Raven's room. He gets up-rushing up the stairs when the elevator doesn't come fast enough. He gets there as she's being given a shot of adrenaline to move whatever drugs she was given out of her system. He's forced to wait outside the room as the doctor works to keep Raven alive. He watches as the guards talk to the police who come back and an empty stretcher is taken into the room. It is soon wheeled back out with the body of a nurse who spoke to him not fifteen minutes earlier. Now she appears to barely be clinging to life.

The doctor leaves the room addressing both the police and Robin. "She's lucky the nurses got to her so quickly. She needs her rest now." He turns to the police. "I'm sorry but you are going to have to wait before you talk to her again. She just had a second brush with death and doesn't need any further stress right now. As I'm sure you can understand she is very upset and she wants Robin with her right now." The doctor stops Robin before he can go in. "Don't let her try to talk about what just happened she needs to rest right now." Robin just nods before he goes in.

Nurses stay there to monitor Raven for awhile as Robin comes in and sits down beside the bed."

Raven tries to speak, but Robin quiets her.

"Don't try to talk right now. You need to rest." He holds onto her hand as he sits there. "I promise you that I'm going to be right here okay."

She just nods as she squeezes Robin's hand.

*****

Its been several weeks since Robin and Raven were released from the hospital, and only several hours since a big city wide memorial for the fall Titans. Batman looks around OPS as he enters. Raven just sits in a wheelchair at the table staring at a cup of tea-while Robin stands at the windows just staring out at the ocean view. Neither of the teens before him even so much as glance in his direction. Only the mutated looking maggot thing on the kitchen counter pays him any mind as he crosses the room and joins Robin.

"I can't remember why chose to orient OPS so that it looked out over the ocean. The view is nice, but one would think we should have been more concerned with watching over the city."

"We found the person responsible for the bombing at the cave, but he is no better shape than the nurse who tried to overdose Raven on pain medication." He just stands there a few moments when Robin doesn't answer. "Does the name Slade Wilson ring a bell?"

Robin finally looks over at Batman. "Slade?"

"Formally known as Deathstroke, from what I can piece together."

"He helped us defeat Raven's father why would he want to kill the Titans?"

"The cave where all of you went that day was a former hideout of his. No one knew it was there. The only reason you and Raven where found alive at all was the explosion drew the attention of the authorities. There has to be some connection between him and the nurse at the hospital."

"She came to me earlier that day-said she had been studying martial arts for a long time and wanted to join the team. After what happened the thought of a new team made me angry...and I guess I could have handled it better."

"So you're just going to mope around here all day and not even try to find out what happened to the nurse or this Slade?"

"We were more than just a team-we were family...and right now, Raven needs me."

Batman watches as Robin walks over to Raven.


	5. Chapter 5

**To read the final ending see my story entitled "In Death Do We Meet" I just put up an extended version of the ending. I left the killer vague because I thought it made the story a little more creepy and I wanted to keep the readers guessing. If you want to try and guess who it is then leave a review after you read the extended ending. Some clues were left along the way in this story.**

Birds of a Feather

Over the next few months the only activity in Titan's tower is that of Robin looking after Raven. It's not just the two of them-the entire city seems to be in mourning. It's like a dark cloud hangs over the city. Not even one of the usual villains have tried anything. In that time Raven has barely spoken more than a few words so it is a shock to Robin when she wanders into OPS on her crutches and speaks.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way."

"What do you mean?"

"We were all there in the future that Starfire saw...well, everyone but her apparently."

"What she saw could have been any one of a number of alternate futures."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Why didn't you just leave me there in that cave to die? The others might still be ali--"

"We were all targets. 'Four down two to go' isn't that what you told the police the nurse who tried to kill you said?"

"Then why are we just sitting around here, why not get out there and find out who's targeting us?"

"What do you think you can do out there on those crutches?"

"I'm sick of just sitting around here doing nothing."

"What you need to do is have your knee operated on...or at least heal it your self."

Raven turns around and leaves the room-her final words barely above a whisper. "Don't you think I tried that?"

Robin turns around as the doors to OPS open and then promptly close again. "The first thing she says in months and you have to go and turn it into a fight...good going."

-------

Raven slowly returns to her room. She has to be careful when she enters the room to avoid falling over the books that are strewn every where. She has been pouring over them last few months in hopes of finding some clue as to why her powers have not returned. None of them have provided her with any answers. She stops just standing there-staring at the duffel bag she has had packed for some time now. Finally she picks it up, if she can't do anything to get out there and find whoever is after them then she's going to have to force the only one who can to do it.

*****

Robin goes up to Raven's room later to apologize only to find a note taped to her door. He pulls it off and reads it. He punches his fist against the wall in frustration as Silkie comes crawling by. "She's gone...to who knows where. Its not safe for her to be alone with someone out there after us." He looks down as Silkie makes some kind of mewing sound.

"You think she's trying to tell me to get up and go do something to find this creep?"

Silkie nods at Robin's words.

"I would feel better about it if she weren't going out there making her self a target." Robin starts to walk away when Silkie makes a sound that almost sounds like he were saying no. "No?...that's right! She's not going out there as a target...she's going out there as bait."

*****

Raven walks alone a few weeks later--she isn't sure that Robin really is out there watching her. At this point she can only hope. She's done everything she can to get herself noticed at the sleazy little place she found that would allow a teen with no parents to give permission for her to work. The hours are long and by the early morning it is all she can do to make it back to her apartment. Many nights she finds herself having to stop often and rest her knee. The crummy little apartment isn't that far away, but with the way she feels tonight-it may as well be all the way across the city. This is the third time she has had to stop and she is barely half-way there. She turns around-looking behind her-sure that she hears footsteps. Tonight one strangely familiar guy had gotten drunk tried to get rough with her. He was thrown out eventually-but she had caught him mumbling something about the dark.

That man ducks into a shadowy doorway as she stops and looks back. Its her alright, just what the freaky Titan has been doing away from the tower he doesn't know and right now all he cares about is a little payback for all the long sleepless nights she has caused him. He starts to follow again as she moves on only to stop. He sees two shadows he casts from a near by street lamp-but one of them can be his. He takes a step forward and then looks again-there is only one again. Just the little witch getting to him again he thinks-but when he starts forward again he's floored by a dark shadow. He lays there convulsing as it disappears.

-------

Robin stands on a roof over looking the city. He wishes that Raven had made it a little easier to find her. He has barely slept in fear that he would wake up to the news that Raven was found dead. He looks through a set of binoculars for a while before putting them up and leaping onto another roof top as he searches the night for Raven.

-------

Raven knows someone is following her now. She doesn't dare slow down to look behind her. She's not sure just how much farther she is going to be able to go on her injured knee. Stabbing pains shoot through it every time her foot pounds down on the pavement. She cries out as the knee finally gives out and she falls to the ground. Raven tries to get back up, but she is quickly grabbed and roughly dragged into a dark alley.

-------

Robin stops when he hears a scream--he looks around-it wasn't something close by--no he heard the scream in his head. That means it was Raven. He rushes off letting the bond that they share guide him to her.

-------

Raven manages to punch her attacker in the crotch-but that doesn't even even seem to phase him.

"Five down-one to go."

She struggles to get away as hands close around her throat-squeezing hard as her air supply is cut off. Raven tries to pry the hands away, but the grip is too tight for her to break. She stops struggling-hoping that playing dead will fool the attacker and make him stop before he really does kill her. She suddenly is able to draw breath again when the attacker is tackled off her. She shivers as a shadowy figure rushes past her.

Robin gets up as the person suddenly falls limp. He feels for a pulse-the person is still alive, has suddenly entered some catatonic state. He gets up and goes back over to Raven. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Someone had to get you to do something."

"I don't know what's going on here, but we'll figure it out together okay?"

"Okay."

*****

Later that morning Robin and Raven sit in OPS after spending the rest of the night being questioned by the police.

Raven looks up as the sun rises. "They didn't believe me...about the shadow."

"It had to be what was controlling that guy."

"It was Doctor Light."

"Dr. Light?"

"And Slade and that nurse that got ticked off at you. They have all been someone that was upset at us for one reason or another."

"Aside from that fact there is no connection between any of them."

Raven looks up at Robin as he paces by her. "You're bleeding."

Robin looks down at his chest-the red of his shirt has hid it until it started to spread to the green sleeve.

"You better let me look at that." Raven picks up her crutches and gets up-making her way toward the elevator.

He watches Raven for a few moments before following her. He remains quiet on the way down the infirmary and just watches her for sometime as she peels back his shirt and looks at the wound.

"You must have cut yourself on something in the alley." She looks up as Robin grabs her hand-stopping her from cleaning up the wound.

"Why didn't you heal your knee?"

Raven just looks at Robin for a few moments before she finally speaks. "My powers are gone."

"What do you mean?"

"Before I woke up I was lost in my dark mind scape-it was a means to helping me control my powers. It was falling apart...the others helped me get out. I haven't been able to use my powers since I woke up."

"Then why haven't you had the operation on your knee?"

"I just thought after I got my strength back my powers would return and I could do it myself." Raven finishes cleaning up Robin's wound. "I guess I haven't really accepted that fact that they aren't coming back yet."

"So what do we do now? You can't keep putting yourself out there as bait."

-------

Batman enters the tower only to be attacked by the same shadow figure that Raven saw earlier.

Silkie watches from behind one of the recliners as he goes about setting explosives around the room. He quickly sneaks out and grabs one of them in his mouth and fleas upstairs to find Raven and Robin.

-------

Robin looks down at his communicator as it beeps.

"What was that?"

"Batman must be here-he is the only one who knows the code to get in. I thought he would be back in Gotham by now." He looks down as it quickly beeps again. "Huh, that's odd...looks like he just left."

"Why would he come in for a few moments and then turn around and leave?"

Robin and Raven turn around when the infirmary door opens and Silkie rushes in with the explosive.

"Robin, look!"

He jumps down off the bed and first scoops up Silkie who drops the explosive-then places him in Raven's arms before he picks her up. He rushes to the central stairs and shoots a grappling hook up then jumps down. He just hopes he can get them out of here in time.

"Forget me--"

"--Not a chance." Robin rushes down to the hanger and sits Raven on the r-cycle and climbs on. "Hold on!" He starts up the bike and speeds out of the tower as fast as he can.

Only seconds after Robin speeds into the underwater tunnel that connects to the highway the explosives planted in the tower goes off.

**This is not one of my better stories. I didn't stray very far at all from the original handwritten version, other than the online chapter that I added. I posted it only as prequel to "In Death We Meet." It at least fills in the back story that I have been getting some questions about. To view the extended ending Then click on my profile and look for the link to the story "In Death We Meet" and click on the second chapter. Unlike the prequel it is told from Robin's point of view.**

**At least I thought it wasn't one of the better ones. A cousin of mine (not the editor cousin) who is about to start college came over this weekend and read this story from start to finish-with the extended "In Death We Meet" Ending. She looked up after she read it and first said she was going to cry and she is the kind of person who almost never cries and then that I need to stop it with the fan fictions and write a book. It was the first time I ever saw anyone really react to one of my stories. She cringed a lot while reading the extended ending...for me it was a very cool moment since I was kind of starting to doubt my writing ability. For the first time I saw someone get a little glimpse into the movie I always see in my head when I write these stories. So I was thinking about pulling out the old original fictions and giving them a go again after I finish off the last two chapter stories I have going on right now. It won't be the end of what I post here-I have lots more to put up. Maybe ten more to type that I would post on here...after that I'll see how it goes. Those other twenty plus plans I had for Teen Titan fan fictions may just have to be put on hold for awhile. I've honestly got a few other fan fictions I did over the years for other shows that I would like to put up too and they haven't been typed either. I guess I'll be pretty busy for awhile since my cousin said she was coming to me if she ever needed help on one of her papers for class. I don't mean to sound as if I'm bragging or anything...it was just a moment connected with this story that I thought sucked to begin with, which made me feel very good and I wanted to share. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this story and that like my cousin-you too got a little glimpse into that movie inside my head.**


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